Unexpected Storm
by the Prince's Jewel
Summary: Eh, it ain't precicely detailed. You all know the blanket fics, this is another... continued by request, and now complete
1. Storm

Eh, I have no idea if this is worth sticking up, but whatever. I wrote it awhile back, it goes with the blanket challenge fic, kinda. And it's a frigging .txt file, too. I have since learned to hate those, but that's how I saved it so that's what I'm stuck with.  
  
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Inu-Yasha pulled Kagome's legs tighter around his waist. He almost couldn't feel his hands, and the school uniform she wore certainly wasn't keeping her warm! He'd given her his kimono when it had blown up… out of nowhere and in the late days of spring. They hadn't been prepared for such a thing.  
  
He staggered as the wind whipped viciously around him, straining for a sight of some form of shelter. Right now, he'd settle for a hollowed out tree! But there was nothing, nothing but whirling snow.  
  
He didn't know how long he'd been walking when he finally spotted the darkness. He moved towards it, hoping against hope that it was more than a large boulder this time. He couldn't feel his hands now, and Kagome was a dead weight. He was pretty sure she wasn't dead, but he wasn't certain. The dark blob was closer, and the wind swept the snow from his view just long enough to allow his heart to leap. A cave! Shelter. He made for it, struggling through the drifts until he fell inside.  
  
Inu-Yasha gasped, the frigid wind no longer able to reach them. He tried standing, failed, and contented himself with half-crawling and half-dragging himself and his cargo deeper into the sheltering cave. A few blinks later, his eyes had adjusted enough to see nothing else occupied the cave. His poor nose was so cold he couldn't have smelled fresh Ramen. A pile of leaves, there. He dragged Kagome to it, dumping her into them.  
  
*****  
  
"Hypothermia? What's that?" Inu-Yasha asked. Kagome was studying, again.  
  
"Freezing to death. This first-aid course is on how to treat hypothermia."  
  
"It's almost summer! Why learn something like that?" He grabbed the book from her hands, only to have his face meet the ground, painfully. The book was snatched away, and Kagome had read the entire thing aloud, sitting him whenever he tried to get away.  
  
*****  
  
Now, he could appreciate it. They were both frozen to the core. He turned to the pack, dumping it out on the cave floor. One blanket. One light blanket, suitable for the weather they should have been having. He cursed, then set to work stripping her clothes. The flimsy thing would at least be good to rub her down with, and he performed the duty with a vengeance. Her lips weren't blue when he finished, and even he felt a little warmer. "Body heat, body heat. Oh, dammit!"  
  
Snarling, he stripped out of his own frozen clothing, and rubbed himself down furiously. He glared at Kagome, the look lost on the unconscious girl, before curling around her and pulling the feeble excuse for a blanket over them both. Where was his kimono? He sat up, grabbed it, and shook it angrily, tossing ice and snow off it. He pulled that over them as well, which helped tremendously.  
  
For awhile. And then, he was shivering uncontrollably, and Kagome wasn't in any better shape. Although, at least now she was awake too. "Inu-Yasha?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm cold."  
  
"Keh! Of course you're cold, stupid. There's a blizzard going on outside, or had you forgotten?"  
  
She twisted, putting her arms around him. "No. And I'm cold, Inu-Yasha."  
  
He'd thought he couldn't get any colder. But his blood even seemed to freeze when she'd moved, and his whole body got stiff. "K… Kagome?" She'd begun rubbing her hands over him. "Wh… what are you doing?"  
  
"Getting warm." She ducked her head, nuzzling against his chest. He very nearly bolted from under the blanket when she licked him.  
  
"Warm? How is licking me going to…" His eyes crossed, voice dying as her hand drifted down his stomach, then…. "KAGOME! What do you think you're doing?"  
  
"Inu-Yasha? What's wrong? It's so cold!" she whimpered. "I just want to be warm." She pressed against him, nuzzling again. "Keep me warm."  
  
He didn't know what to do. She was still rubbing him, and hesitantly, he returned the favor. The friction warmed his hands enough that he began to understand why she hadn't stopped. But that didn't explain her hand's current location. "Kagome?"  
  
"Keep me warm." Her leg slipped over his and she pulled him closer. "Please?"  
  
His ears flattened. Was she aware of what she was doing? Of what she was asking? Was she asking for what it seemed like she was? "Ka… Kagome? Do you… do you want me to… to…." His voice dissolved into a groan when she ground herself against him, her tongue flickering across his chest again as she did so. He had her pinned against the floor a second later. She arched up to him, her fingers trailing around his ears as she did. Desire flooded him, and he took what she offered so willingly.  
  
Kagome woke slowly. Something heavy and warm rested on top of her, pinning her down. She blinked, brushing white hair from her face. Inu-Yasha? His head rested on her shoulder, his hair spilling across her breasts. It took her a moment to realize they were both naked. And that it was his sleeping form that had her pinned. And that they were very intimately joined. "INU-YASHA!!!!"  
  
Golden eyes shot open, and he jerked awake, fangs bared as he looked around the cave to see what danger threatened. "What is it?"  
  
"Inu-Yasha. Where are our clothes?" She enunciated every word carefully, to ensure he understood she was upset.  
  
"Clothes?" He stared down from where he poised over her, puzzled. He shifted his weight, recognizing he'd never left her body, and his eyes widened. "You… you didn't… you didn't…" his voice wavered, "You don't…" He remembered every detail of night, every cry, every moan, each touch and caress. He remembered her begging him to please her, remembered her sleepy whisper as she finally dropped off to sleep. He rolled away, blinking rapidly. "Your clothes, they're right here." He threw them at her, and hastily donned his own. She hadn't meant it. She hadn't wanted him. She didn't love him. He blinked harder.  
  
"Sit, boy." The threatening tears flowed. He didn't bother to get up. He just turned his head away from her so she wouldn't know. "Sit, boy." She repeated it a few more times, noticing the dried blood on her thighs and the pain between her legs. He took it, not bothering to call her a bitch, no longer caring enough to defend himself. The mess he'd made of her backpack and her supplies earned him several more sits as she packed it back up.  
  
He just laid there. The tears had dried. She hadn't meant it. He'd thought… He rubbed at his eyes impatiently. She hadn't. Obviously. So there was no use in wishing she had, no use in thinking she had. No more meaning to the fleeting happiness he'd felt, the idea of being accepted as he was, the idea he wouldn't be alone anymore. She hadn't meant any of it. He meant nothing to her.  
  
The trip back to the village was made in absolute silence. Inu-Yasha barely noticed that the snow had already mostly melted away, leaving only a patch or two behind. He followed Kagome by scent alone, never once looking up from the ground he concentrated so much attention on. At the God Tree, he stopped, looking to the place he'd once been pinned, then darting high into the branches. Kagome, oblivious, continued to the village. 


	2. Do you love me?

Well, I know it was the answer to a challenge fic, but someone said it was an evil place to end it, and please continue. And, since I had more of it written than I posted, I decided "Why not?" (Nasty flames may answer that…) Inu-Yasha gets out of character, I'll warn you about that now.

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He hadn't known anything when he was pinned. There had been only the brief flash of betrayal as he realized Kikyo had fired the arrow. And then, Kagome had awakened him… He hadn't felt anything. He hadn't realized any time had passed. His head drooped, his knees drew up. His body shook as he fought the pain in his heart, pain he'd never expected to feel. When had he begun to love her? When had he given her his heart? His shattered, broken heart. He cried, gouging himself with his own claws as he tried to stop his tears, to make it just a physical pain. Blood dripped to the ground, pooling at the base of the tree, and still he ripped at his own flesh. The agony of his claws tearing through flesh and muscle, scoring the bone, was somehow soothing now. The dizziness and weakness that accompanied the blood lost was all that finally stopped him. He fell from the tree, hitting several branches before landing in the bloodied dirt below.

*****

"I love you."

*****

Moving hurt. The room swam dizzily into focus. A window, a door of woven reeds. Wooden floor. And an old woman. His eyes fluttered shut again. Something soft under him, and something warm over. Memory flooded his mind. Under the cover of the blanket, sharp claws ripped through bandages to the flesh beneath. He hadn't died, and he had meant to. Flesh gave way, blood soaking into the futon. He no longer cared to live.

He could smell her, just outside. His ears twitched, ever so slightly, as her footsteps indicated her entrance, and she spoke to Kaede. "Is he improving, Kaede?"

"His wounds heal, child, but he wakes not."

"And we are no closer to finding whatever it was that attacked him." She sounded sad.

He dug his claws into his palms, not realizing the pain-laced smile that accompanied the action, not realizing she noticed he moved when he began gouging his thighs. Kagome walked quietly over to him, looking down at the hanyou. She had been so angry with him when she'd woken up that day. And yet, the anger had turned to horror and fear of losing him when she'd found him on her way back to the well. She dropped to her knees beside him, reaching out to brush a few stray wisps of hair from his face

"Oh, Inu-Yasha," she said quietly, sorrow lacing her tone, "Inu-Yasha. You must get better." Gently, mindful of the bandages, she cupped his face. "You must. I need you."

He stilled, not even seeming to breath for a moment. Hazy, pain-filled eyes opened slowly, focused on her. He blinked a few times, as if trying to figure out if she were real. She… needed him?

"Inu-Yasha?" She turned to call Kaede. "Kaede! He's awake!" She turned back to him, eyes brimming. "Oh, Inu-Yasha! I… We've been so worried about you! What happened? Who… or what, did this to you?"

He didn't answer, just continued to stare at her, his golden eyes hazed with pain as he tried to understand. She had been worried? Kaede interrupted his torturous thought processes, forcing him to drink some evil-tasting concoction. He didn't protest, even swallowed as told. Kagome found him a bit of food, feeding it to him herself, concern for him in her eyes. He permitted himself to be fed, still trying to understand even as his claws continued to rip new wounds. He needed the pain, needed to feel the blood run.

She noticed the blood, finally. "Kaede! He's bleeding again!" Kagome ripped the blanket off, only to realize as she saw him slash at his stomach that he'd wounded himself. "Kaede!" She grabbed his hands, pulling them away from his body. "Inu-Yasha! You stop that!"

He didn't fight her, didn't fight when Kaede wrapped his hands so that he couldn't hurt himself. He didn't move as she treated the new wounds and bandaged them. He neither helped nor hindered as the two women moved him from the blood soaked futon, barely noticed when he was put on another with a clean blanket covering him.

She needed him. She'd been worried. And she didn't want him to hurt himself. His eyes closed, silent tears chasing each other as they fell. She… cared?

His wounds were healed by morning, leaving no scars behind. Hanyou blood, his mind taunted him. Half-breed. Worthless. Kaede took off his bandages, but left his hands wrapped. Kagome sat with him, troubled that she was having to coax him to eat Ramen. He didn't speak, didn't move, wasn't even gobbling Ramen! She set the bowl aside, finally giving up when the sun set.

Beautiful golden eyes closed, though he didn't go to sleep. Kagome sighed, and brushed a light kiss to his cheek. "Goodnight, Inu-Yasha. Sleep well." She moved to her own bed, wondering what could have possibly happened to make her hanyou friend behave so strangely.

He opened his eyes again when he determined the others were asleep. Sharp teeth tore at the bandages on his hands, freeing them. He didn't bother trying to find his clothes, darting out the door and to his tree. Finally in the high branches, a cool breeze winding around his body and tossing at his hair, he allowed himself to think.

That night… was it only two nights ago? She had initiated… she had urged him to take her… and he had. She'd wanted more, he'd given it to her. Her eagerness and wantonness had surprised him… but otherwise, she'd been perfectly normal. Her scent, her voice… and thinking about it, even touching him was normal for her. So what had happened? She'd asked, he'd given… she'd said she loved him! Unnoticed, tears began tracking down his cheeks, remembering the way she'd pulled him back when he'd started to pull away from her, her sleepy whisper and the passionate kisses they'd shared. Why had she wakened so angry with him? Why the punishment?

Could she not remember? Inu-Yasha shook his head… no, that couldn't be. It had been only a matter of a few hours between when they'd fallen asleep and when she'd wakened him. They had slept only. Nothing had come in, his nose had told him that when he'd tried to find the enemy he thought had threatened his mate. Yet… she had acted as if she had no knowledge of the night's events. His brows furrowed as he followed that line of thought. But, he couldn't come up with any reason why she would not remember.

Which left only one answer. She had regretted her choice, and did not want to admit that she had taken him for her mate. She had… rejected him. He shook his head. No… no. She had said only that morning that she needed him, that she'd been worried about him… and she hadn't wanted him to hurt himself. That didn't seem like rejection. At least, not until he remembered the Shikon jewel.

Yes, for that, she needed him. To protect her. She would be worried if she had to hunt the shards without a protector, or with an injured one. Inu-Yasha reached down and very deliberately set his claws. Four gashes, as deep as he could, from his ankles and up his sides. The next sets were from shoulders to wrists. Pain… enough pain to make him feel something other than the overwhelming ache in his heart. The gashes across his stomach this time were weak, the ripped muscles and tendons in his arms and wrists making it difficult to scratch, must less cut deeply.

He sat back against the tree, watching his blood flow, wondering if this time he would die, or if his wounds would heal first. She'd rejected him. There was nothing for him to live for now. If this attempt failed, he'd make another. And another, if need be.

Inu-Yasha was still in the tree when Kagome woke up and went hunting for him. The tree was the first place she looked. He always went there. She smelled the blood as she got closer, and began running, only to stop in absolute horror when she finally reached the tree. He was there… and this time, it looked as if she was too late.

His ravaged body hung in the tree. Sometime during the night, he'd finally lost consciousness, and fallen. The necklace had caught on a small branch, one of his legs still over the one he'd sat in. If he hadn't slid the way he had, blood loss or suffocation would have killed him, but the necklace pulled against the back of his neck instead of across his throat. His once silver hair, nearly black now, hung limply, too heavy with congealing blood to blow in the morning breeze. Suddenly, Kagome's eyes narrowed. He couldn't be dead. He was still bleeding, she could see the trail of blood trickling from the hand that hung against the tree's trunk. After a moment's indecision, she screamed "Sit, boy!" figuring that it wasn't possible to hurt him any worse than he'd hurt himself.

The necklace lurched towards the ground, breaking the weakened branch that had held it. Inu-Yasha plummeted, landing in a sprawled heap. Kagome raced to his side and managed to discover that he was not only alive, he was healing. Slowly, but he was healing. Again, she went after some of the village men to help her get Inu-Yasha back to Kaede's hut.

"….Kaede? I don't understand. He's doing it to himself! Why?" It was Kagome's voice. Inu-Yasha kept his eyes closed, testing his surroundings by scent and sound alone.

"Aie, child, I know not. Were ye attacked by any strange creature when ye were hunting the shard?" From the sound, Kaede was fixing a meal. Fish and vegetables, it smelled like.

"No. We… we got caught in a snowstorm… but nothing attacked."

"A snowstorm? When was this?" There was no mistaking the surprise in Kaede's voice.

"It was… three days… no, four. It was the day before we returned to the village. The strangest thing I've ever seen, really. It came up just after we had stopped for lunch, and had almost all melted by the time we started for the village."

"Ah." Now the old woman sounded troubled. "Nothing attacked during the storm?"

"No. Well… I don't think so. It got so cold, Inu-Yasha had to carry me while he was looking for shelter. I passed out," Kagome admitted. "When I woke up… we were in a cave, and, well, Inu-Yasha was acting strange. He didn't even call me a bitch when I sat him! And he didn't say anything the whole way back, wouldn't eat the Ramen I made us for lunch… and then this started."

There was silence for some time, broken only by the rattling Kaede made as she cooked. Finally, she sighed. "Child, I know naught how to ask this delicately. Did ye and Inu-Yasha have sex?"

He heard her choke, and then the sound of Kaede thumping her back. Finally, the girl began breathing again. "Kaede! Don't ask things like that when someone's eating! You nearly killed me!"

"Ye answered not my question, child."

Another long period of silence. "I… yes."

"Ye chose this?"

He waited for her answer, holding his breath. Her voice was low, troubled, when she finally spoke. "When I woke up, he was sleeping on top of me. It took me a little bit to realize that we were naked, and that he was inside of me. When I yelled at him… he woke up… He was looking around like he expected to find an enemy in there with us! He looked so protective right then, until I asked him where my clothes were. Then… it was like he just got really confused. He said," there was a pause, "Well, actually, it was more like he was trying to say something, but couldn't talk. He said 'you didn't' a couple times, then jumped up and threw my clothes at me."

His ears flattened against his head. She didn't remember. She didn't remember. That whole, precious night… and she didn't know what had happened.

"Ye didn't…. Didn't what, I wonder. Perhaps finding that out, young Kagome, will answer why yon Inu-Yasha seems bent on killing himself."

He heard the rustle of her clothes as she moved. Then footsteps as she approached, settling next to him. "I don't hate him for what happened. He's my friend." His heartache intensified, and he whimpered in pain. She, his mate… only a friend? "Inu-Yasha?" The gentle touch of her hand on his face, a startled murmur. "Kaede! He is crying!"

Inu-Yasha opened his eyes, staring up at the girl. The anguish in those golden orbs startled her. "Oh, Inu-Yasha! What's wrong? Why are you doing this? What happened?"

He stared at her hopelessly. What could he say? There was nothing he could say. She had forgotten everything. Nothing he could tell her that she would believe. She wouldn't believe that she had initiated their mating… not after the reaction she'd made the next morning. He sniffed uncertainly, and his anguish deepened. After that reaction, how could he possibly tell her the mating had been successful?

"Inu-Yasha." Kaede now knelt beside him as well. "Tell me but one thing, did ye force Kagome?"

"No." It was the barest trace of sound, the stiffening of his body and the tightening of his features giving more of an answer than his voice was capable of.

"Ye marked her."

The slightest of nods. His eyes were locked on the old woman now. "Kagome, what reaction did ye have when ye woke. What did ye?"

"I…" She looked between the two, puzzled. "I asked for my clothes. And I sat him. A lot."

Kaede, watching the hanyou, saw the fierce pain that swept his features. "Aye. I see."

"See what?"

"Inu-Yasha believed ye were willing. He marked you as his mate," Kaede explained quietly. "And when ye woke, and punished him, he felt ye had rejected him. Being rejected by the one he has mated… has made him unwilling to live."

Kagome sat in silence, hand resting on Inu-Yasha's chest as she let that sink in. "Are you telling me that he's trying to kill himself because of something that I don't even remember?" she asked finally. This time, she saw the pain in his expression, anguish deepening in his eyes just before he closed them. "Because I don't remember having sex with him?"

"Nay, child, not sex. Ye do not remember mating with him. This is more than mere sex. For him, it is like a marriage."

"I got married and don't remember it!" Kagome screamed. "That's not possible! It's not!"

The tears, which had never really stopped, became heavier, and she felt the sob he held back. "Kaede. I need some time alone with him."

Kaede didn't protest. She went elsewhere for the night.

Kagome brushed the tears from his face. She pulled the blanket from him, and removed the bandages. He'd healed, so she washed the dried blood from his skin before replacing the blanket. "Open your eyes, Inu-Yasha. You are going to tell me everything."

He opened his eyes, but it was a very long time before he began speaking. When he finished, she sat quietly, wondering at what he'd said. "Don't hurt yourself anymore," she ordered him. "I need some time to… to think about this." She rose, heading for her bed, but his nearly silent question stopped her.

"Do you love me?"


	3. Stupid Question

OOOO! Reviews. I like reviews… J How about Kaede? Is she IC?

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Tatoosh: I seem rather good at torture. Maybe I should work on sweetness and light?

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Epsilon Psi & Luminescent: I'm confused. One of you says IC, the other OOC! But only a little O, so maybe I'm doing something right… *blinks oddly* happy ending? Hmm… I have heard of those… *looks up* must work on sweetness & light….

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Moongoddess1989, kolohe: continuing, continuing. *hands out tissues* here, you need these.

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"What?" She turned slowly to face him.

"Do… do you… love me?" His golden eyes, were bright with tears, his face and hair wet with them. "You said you did… in the cave. Do… do you?"

"Oh, what a stupid question!" she cried. "Of course I do, you idiot! But there's… there's a lot for me to think about right now. I've lost my virginity, and you say I begged you to take it, to mate with me. To _marry_ me! I don't remember anything -_ anything_ - Inu-Yasha! I don't remember one blessed thing between us trudging through the snow and waking up with you on top of me. It's just… a lot to deal with. I need to think."

She turned away from him again, going to her own mat. "And don't you dare hurt yourself while I get myself all figured out."

"Kagome?"

"What?"

"There's… something… something you should know."

"What?"

"You're pregnant…"

"WHAT!!!!!"

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Okay, so I'm evil. It's a very, very short chapter. If you're lucky, I'll post another one tomorrow, if not, you have to wait until Wednesday.


	4. Waiting for morning

Erm, you had to wait. I got sleepy, had to take a nap, and when I got up and finished the chappie I'd been in the middle of, it was time to leave.

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Tatoosh: Ah, I'm evil again! J 

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Kolohe: Evil, shnevil. I shall update as soon as I can. Even I have to go to bed occasionally. My other halves demand it!

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She stared at him, dumbfounded. _What? I'm pregnant? I don't even remember loosing my virginity, and I got _pregnant_??? That is so not fair! I… I… I need to go to sleep. This will all make sense in the morning. Sure! I'll wake up, and find out I was dreaming, and that none of this is real._ "I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."

Kagome settled down on the mat, drew a light blanket over herself. _That's right. This will all make sense when I *yawn* wake up._

Inu-Yasha crept closer to her, watching her as she slept, wondering what decision she would make. _She loves me, I know that much… now. She loves me. She does want me around. I haven't been completely rejected. But… if she doesn't want to be my mate, to have my children… what then? How can she say she loves me, but not be willing to be mine?_

He shook his head, silvery hair swishing. It was doing him no good to sit here, stare at her. He felt the need to be out, under the stars. Away from the turmoil she caused him, until she decided. _An' it's not like she'll decide anything while she's sleeping. I'll just go out and see how many stars I can count. Maybe I can find a demon to fight. That'd be good. That'd keep me distracted awhile. Think I'll go demon-hunting._

His fangs gleamed when he smiled, and bounded out the door.

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Jewel: My muse has been stuck at this point for over a month now. If it wasn't for the fact that he wields the magical muse eraser and has threatened to erase all the ideas for Unforgivable, I would use "encouraging" methods upon him. And would someone please explain to me how I wound up with a male muse living inside my head?

Muse: You like men.

Jewel: Your explanation doesn't count. Why are you stuck there?

Muse: *holds up his latest drawing*

Jewel: *drools* Oh. Yeah. I forgot. *Blinks* Wait… didn't I used to have another muse?

Muse: *points to bed in the corner*

Jewel: *looks* Oh, hell. Sorry folks. Looks like the appropriate muse for this story is a bit tied up at the moment… it's being indefinitely delayed.

Appropriate Muse: *muffled* Ivgtde! Mmeooo!

Muse: *applies cattle prod* Shut-up. I'm working.

AM: *muffled* Usrrskst! Igtuths!

Jewel: Um, does that mean you have an idea?

AM: *nods*

Jewel: *examines knots, turns to hopeful readers* This will take a bit. Please accept the above token until I get these knots undone *dodges muse* and this particular muse carefully stowed *dodges again* someplace safer! *runs*


	5. Going Home

Writer's block went away! For awhile, anyhow.

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Morning dawned far too early for Kagome. She lay quietly beneath her blanket, listening to the gentle breathing of the very nearby hanyou. _Inu-Yasha. Can it possibly be true? Can I really be pregnant? Well… a trip back to my time is definitely in order! I need an EPT!_ That much decided, she tossed the cover aside and began packing.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to go home for awhile."

Claws closed around her wrists. "I won't let you!"

"Inu-Yasha." Her voice was icy-cold, and he dropped her hand as if she'd sat him. "I have some very important decisions to make. And I cannot do that here. I need my mother." That last sentence slipped out before she thought, and she blanched, realizing that she _would_ have to tell her mother.

Her voice barely sounded like her own as she continued, "And you are not to hurt yourself while I'm gone. If you do, I will reject you, even if I had decided not to, because that would prove to me that you don't have any faith in us."

"I understand."

"Good. I'll probably be gone at least a week." She frowned, biting her lip. If she really was pregnant… hauling around a huge pack was probably not all that good of an idea. "You're carrying the bag. And if I am not back in one week from… tomorrow, you come to me, understand?"

He grabbed up the bag, golden eyes wide. "I understand. Come and get you a week from tomorrow if you aren't back yet. And don't hurt myself."

"Right." Kagome lead the way to the well, her mind churning. If she was pregnant, well, she wouldn't be coming to feudal Japan nearly so much! Crossing times probably wasn't good for a baby. And medicine and prenatal care was a lot better in her time! Except… well… Inu-Yasha was a hanyou, after all, and her baby - if there really was one! - was a hanyou too. Maybe she could come back just for the birth? Kaede was perfectly qualified as a midwife, after all. And she really couldn't see birthing a dog in a hospital: that would just lead to far, far too many questions, not to mention winding up in the tabloids.

At the edge of the well, she paused. She was a miko. Shouldn't she be able to sense a demon? Even if that demon was ¾ human? Kagome leaned against the side of the well, closed her eyes, and made the attempt. And cursed, because she couldn't even find Inu-Yasha. "Okay, jump us down."

Inu-Yasha wrapped an arm around her. Troubled golden eyes met hers. "Why do you want me to jump you, alla sudden?"

"If you are right and I am pregnant, I have no intention of hurting my baby," Kagome snapped, "and you happen to be more coordinated than I am. Besides, you'll be able to jump me out on the other side and save me the strain of the climb."

He jumped. Time warped around them. He touched down, leapt up, and bounded up the stairs before releasing Kagome. "I'll be back in a week," Inu-Yasha promised, and then leapt back to the well. He perched on the edge, looking up at her. "I love you, Kagome." With that, he vanished.

"Oh. My." Kagome glanced at her backpack and decided she could leave it where it was. She slid the door open, walking out to search for her mother.

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You'll have to excuse H. Muse for the shortness. He didn't feel like getting into confrontations just yet. That, and he's still busy spying on Muse & Sephfy-Muse. There are not enough X's in the world to describe those two together! looks away for a moment, listening Oh, he also said to say that this story is supposed to be comprised of short chapters, because that's the way it seems to work.


	6. Choices

The dish slipped from her mother's hand and shattered on the floor. "Mama?"

"You're what to who with what?" her mother said faintly.

Kagome carefully repeated herself. "According to Inu-Yasha, I'm married to him and pregnant with his child."

"How did that happen?" Kagome's mother (a/n: does she have a name?) dropped into a chair.

"I don't know."

"What? How do you not know how…"

"I don't remember any of it," Kagome explained hastily. "We got caught in a snowstorm. The last thing I remember is being sure I was going to freeze to death, and the next thing I remember was… um…" She blinked. "WakingupandrealizingthatInu-Yashawasontopofmeandthatwewerebothnakedandhewasinme," she finished.

Her mother blinked. "Oh."

"That… pretty much describes how I felt when he told me I was pregnant. Actually, it was more like, I'm-having-a-nightmare-and-when-I-wake-up-everything-will-be-just-fine, but it wasn't, because he was still there and still saying that I was pregnant and his mate."

"And he didn't fight you coming home?"

"Of course he did!" Kagome exclaimed. "He's an idiot. Worse, he's a male! Like I would actually stay in feudal Japan if what he says is true!"

"If?"

"Well, I don't remember anything happening, and I haven't seen any proof that I'm really married or pregnant!" Kagome complained, indignation rising again. "For all I know, he made it up when I wanted to know why he was hurting himself!"

"Hurting…. No, no. Start from the beginning. With the snowstorm."

Kagome did. Her mother sat quietly for a time when she had finished, then got up to prepare some tea. Not until after she'd poured them each a cup and gotten Kagome nervous did she speak. "It certainly appears that something happened during that storm. Kaede knew nothing of it?"

"Well… I don't know." Kagome frowned. "She seemed surprised that we said it was a blizzard, and there really wasn't all that much snow on the ground when we left the cave. It all melted away really fast. I just guessed it hadn't snowed as hard at the village."

Her mother sipped at her tea. "Why did you come back?"

"Um… well…" Kagome blushed, her face becoming a vivid shade of scarlet. Her mouth opened and closed a few times. She took a deep breath. "Part of it was that I wanted you, Mom. And the rest… well… I figured if he was telling the truth, it would show up on an EPT. And, there's better natal care now than in feudal Japan."

"So if you are pregnant, you're not planning to get rid of it?"

"You mean an adoption?" Kagome asked, temporarily clueless. "Who'd adopt a hanyou?"

"I meant an abortion, Kagome," her mother answered quietly. "If you don't want the child, why have it?"

Kagome blinked at her mother. Not the advice she had expected. Not words she had ever, ever expected to hear out of her mother's mouth. Slowly, mouth still gaping in shock, she marshaled her wits and shut her mouth. Counted to ten. Gave the question the consideration it was due.

"You've got to be out of your mind!" she exploded, leaping to her feet.

"Give me three good reasons to keep a child you don't want, a half-demon child at that," her mother said quietly.

"First off, Inu-Yasha would kill me. Second off, I'm a miko. I protect innocents, I don't kill them. And third - how the hell can you suggest I kill my own baby?! I don't even know if I'm really pregnant anyway… but Inu-Yasha's hardly ever wrong about stuff like that," she added, remembering.

Her mother smiled, and sighed. "I'm so relieved to hear you say that, Kagome!"

Kagome's jaw dropped again. "Then why say it?!"

Another little sigh. "You wouldn't be the first girl your age to take what seemed to be the easy way out. I was pretty sure you would say no, but I had to be sure. I don't think I would have handled it very well if you told me that killing my first grandchild was a high priority! I'd have probably shoved you down the well and pushed the sofa in after you just to be sure you couldn't get back and do it!"

"Oh, Mom!" Kagome threw herself into her mother's arms. "What should I do?"

"See a doctor," her mother answered promptly. "I'll phone and see if I can't get you an appointment for first thing tomorrow morning. For now, I think you might eat some fruit and lie down for awhile."

"Okay." Kagome grabbed some fruit from the table and walked up to her room, mind churning. _What am I going to do? I don't know anything much about babies!_

Inu-Yasha slunk back to the well and perched on the edge. He guessed Kagome was so wrapped up in what to do that she hadn't noticed him Probably a good thing, he'd nearly ripped the door off the hinges when he realized what an abortion was. He dropped into the well, and made his way back to Kaede to report.


	7. Confirmation & Confrontation

"It's actually a bit early for a pregnancy test, you understand. Your body may not be producing a sufficient number of the hormones that the test checks for yet, and you could get a false negative. Or, you may not be pregnant at all."

Kagome considered the doctor's warning, and demanded the test. She knew enough about hanyous to guess that if she was pregnant, she was most certainly producing the proper hormones in a ridiculous quantity. And she wasn't wrong. The doctor came back frowning.

"You're quite sure this is the only date you had sex?"

"I was a virgin, and it wasn't my idea to not be anymore," Kagome snapped. "Now, am I or not?"

"You are Am I to refer you to someone for a D&C?"

She blinked. "What's that?"

"A procedure to remove the fetus."

Her arms crossed protectively over her stomach as she hopped off the bed. She kept the doctor in view the entire time she hurriedly yanked on her clothes. "I've had this discussion already. This is my baby, not some unwanted growth. I want some prenatal vitamins and anything else I might need."

"You're quite sure?" He seemed puzzled.

"Yes." It was a fight not to hiss at him.

The doctor nodded, and left the room. He came back several minutes later with several formula samples and a complementary diaper bag with additional samples. "Do you plan on nursing?" he asked. "I forgot to ask."

"Yes." _Oh, I hope it isn't born with teeth!_

"Ah. Wait a moment then, and I'll get you some literature for that." He vanished again, and came back with another bag and a sheaf of papers. "This bag has samples of various things you might find useful for nursing." He paused a moment. "You are awfully young to take on the responsibility of a child, Kagome. Are you absolutely sure that is what you wish to do?"

"I know younger girls than I with two or more children, Doctor Higi. I'll have my family, the baby's father, and… a lot of friends helping me."

"The father is helping? I thought you said… ah, perhaps I misheard you. I thought you had been raped and were unwilling to have the baby. That is why I suggested the abortion." He paused a moment. "The midwife, will she be handling your prenatal visits or only the birth?"

Kagome, feeling slightly more charitable with him, paused. She glanced at her mother. Kaede was a good priestess, and an excellent midwife, but she wasn't a modern doctor with the knowledge of medicines Kaede had never heard of. "The birth," she told him at last.

"Then I suggest you schedule another visit for one month from now on your way out. You'll want to make sure you walk for about thirty minutes every day, oh, and that's all you better do in gym class. I'll give you a note for the school." Doctor Higi closed his eyes, thinking. "There's some activities that you should avoid," he listed several, "and you should definitely be sure to eat right."

He examined her again, lips pursing thoughtfully. "You seem to be in excellent health. I don't imagine that you'll have any difficulties with the pregnancy, barring some unforeseen complications. Oh! Keagle exercises! Make sure you do them every single day, they'll help make the birth easier." He explained what those where while Kagome's face grew rather rosy again.

"Now, I'll give your mother a prescription for the prenatal pills. You won't need any supplements with them. Also, get some raspberry tea, and drink at least one cup every day." He tapped his pencil against his lip thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry if I'm a bit scatter-brained," the doctor apologized. "When you told me it wasn't your idea to become pregnant, I was almost positive I was going to have to refer you elsewhere. I don't handle anyone who wants an abortion, you see, and it rather threw me that you were raped and the father would be helping you care for the child."

"Oh… I see." Kagome settled into the chair near the door. "I guess I didn't explain that very well."

"Oh, there's no need." He flapped one hand, the other still tapping the pencil distractedly. "I've no need for details. It just threw me, is all. I'm forgetting something…"

Dr. Higi referred back to the chart he held, muttering under his breath as he apparently went through a checklist. "Got it! I want you to schedule a sonogram for the week before you come to see me. These results seem to indicate that the baby is older than you think, and with some of the drugs around now, it's entirely possible that you were raped earlier and never knew. Now, don't forget to schedule your appointment at the front desk. She can arrange the sonogram, too." He frowned. "Sixteen does seem awfully young… oh well. Off you go! Here's the prescription, and don't forget the tea!"

She made the appointment and scheduled the sonogram, then trudged out to the car. She spent most of the trip back to the shrine in a foul temper, wondering exactly what had changed between feudal Japan and now so that they were plenty old enough and she was awfully young for having babies. Her mother, wisely, said nothing, and only stopped to get ice-cream and the prescription the doctor had given her for Kagome.

Her mood only got darker when she realized that Inu-Yasha was coming for her the next day. It had taken her mother most of the week to find a doctor that didn't say it was too early for the test and quite simply refused to schedule her, and then went through four who thought she expected to schedule an immediate abortion. Doctor Higi was a good doctor, if a bit scatter-brained. It was her fault they'd had a little communication problem. Which didn't change that Inu-Yasha expected her to go back with him tomorrow.

What was she going to tell him? _He's not gonna be happy that the doctor says the baby may not be his!_

"What the hell do you mean, not mine!? Like hell it's anyone else's! You were a virgin!" Inu-Yasha roared.

"Well, the doctor says the tests indicate the baby is older, Inu-Yasha, that's all. So I have to have another test, so they can see how big he is."

Inu-Yasha blinked. "See how big?" he repeated wonderingly. "They can do that?"

"Sure," Kagome replied blithely. "It's called a sonogram. I'll get to see the baby before it's even born. I'll be taking that test in three weeks, and I have to see the doctor again the next week."

His ears flattened. "You aren't coming back home, are you?"

She mock-punched him. "Inu-Yasha, you idiot! This is my home. I know we still have shards to look for, and all that, but I have a baby to think about now. I'll get better care in my time than yours, and I won't have nearly as many demons chasing after me!"

Inu-Yasha was forced to concede the point. She and the baby would be safer in her time. His ears flattened, perked, then flattened again. "I want you there… but I… I'll leave you here. If that's really what you want." He wouldn't look at her, choosing to stare out her window at the tree.

"I think it's safer, Inu-Yasha." Kagome reached out, stroking his ears. "I probably won't go back until it's time for the baby to be born. I… don't want to have it here."

His ears twitched, he glanced at her unhappy expression quickly before returning his attention to the tree. "Why?"

"In your time, Kaede understands exactly what I'll be delivering. Hanyou's are actually rather common. Other than yourself, how many demons have you sensed in my time? And the Noh Mask doesn't count."

"Uh…" _Demons? Not counting the mask? I don't think I've felt any… oh._ "None, that I can think of."

"Exactly. You and your brother are both very pretty, but you both also have very obvious demonic attributes." She tugged lightly on his ear. "I won't risk my baby becoming the center of a media circus."

"Sesshomaru is not pretty!" he yelped.

"Yes he is. Even Sanzo and Kaede say he is. If he had the attitude to match and wasn't always trying to kill me… er… um, would you like to see the baby when I go for the sonogram? They generally let fathers in," Kagome said hastily. "See your baby before it's born… then go back and brag about him. Or her."

He blinked, attention diverted successfully. "You'll know the sex of the child?"

Kagome grabbed up one of the pamphlets the doctor had sent her home with. "Hmm… hmmm… no, not yet. Too early, it looks like. Probably not until the next sonogram."

"What's that?" She handed it to him, and he paged through it carefully, looking at the pictures. "This is what a baby looks like before it's born?"

"Yep." Kagome rummaged through the papers, flyers, pamphlets and samples she'd dumped on her bed. "Here's some more pictures. They all tell about how the baby develops, and this one tells me what I should be noticing as the pregnancy progresses."

"What's all the other stuff?"

"Diapers, formula samples," she picked up a box to see what it was, and blushed, "nursing pads, baby lotions and shampoo samples… baby powder sample - don't!" Too late, he'd sniffed and was busy sneezing. "Mostly, it's stuff that I can use for him after he's born. I'll have to have Doctor Higi make him up a birth certificate…" Her voice trailed off as she considered that. Her life was in this time, but her hanyou child's might be in the past, where he could have a better life if he was obviously different.

"Kagome?" Inu-Yasha's voice was soft and uncertain.

"What?"

"What… did you decide about me?"


	8. Suppositions

"Kagome?" Inu-Yasha's voice was soft and uncertain.

"What?"

"What… did you decide about me?"

"About you?" Caught up in her consideration of where her baby would live, Kagome didn't really catch the meaning of the question. "What do you mean?"

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped. "About us?" he whispered.

"Ohhhh, that!" Her hand twitched, dismissing them. "I've been trying to explain to my family what happened, and then finding a doctor to confirm what you told me. I haven't given the us part of the equation any thought yet. I haven't had time!" She grabbed at him when he whirled away. "You stay put and listen to me, Inu-Yasha!

"I haven't had the time to do anything except confirm that you were right and that I am pregnant. Right now, all I know is that I have to do what is best for my baby, and that means staying here." His ears were flat against his head, his body trembling. She slipped from the bed, wrapping her arms around his waist and putting her head against his shoulder. "Inu-Yasha, I don't know what to think. I don't know what to do. I love you, but my family and my life are here! Your life and your family are in the past."

She hugged him, tugged at him until he turned to face her. "I have a lot to think about. A lot of what's and if's and and's to wonder about. Like what happens when the Jewel is restored? Am I going to be sent back to my time as suddenly as I was pulled into yours? Are we going to be separated even if I don't want us to be?

"Would it be possible to keep living in two times? I have so many problems doing that now, I don't know if I could. Or can I only live in one time? Will I have to decide between everything I know, everyone I love, all my friends, and all my family…" she looked up at him, cupping his face in her hands, "and you? I love you, I need you… and I'm scared and I don't know what to do."

In a way, he understood, but it didn't make her vague answer any less painful. Especially since she'd made such a dismissive motion before explaining. He slipped his arms around her, burying his nose in her hair, and thought about it. "I'll go now." He pulled away, looking at her sorrowfully. "You love me… but I understood you well enough. We can't be together, can we? Not as mates should be. There's too much keeping us apart, and too much chance of us not being able to stay together even if you really wanted it."

"Inu-Yasha? I didn't say that." Kagome grabbed for his wrist as he started to turn away.

"You didn't need to say it." His ears flattened against his head again. His voice was steady, and he refused to look at her. "The only way you would stay in my time is if our baby has obvious signs that it's not human. And even then, hanyous don't need their mothers as long as human babies. You'll leave us both behind, for your own life, your own time, and your schoolwork. And when the Jewel is restored, we'll never see you again."

Her hand left his wrist, and he knew from the sounds that she was pressing it to her mouth, the hiccupping noise a sure indication she was about to cry. "I'll go home now, and tell Kaede that you'll be back when it's time for the baby to come. Everything you'll need will be ready for you when it's time."

He bounded out the window, racing for the well house. He could hear her, calling after him, but was on the lip of the well when she finally called "Sit!" The necklace pulled him into the well, and he vanished into his own time.

"Inu-Yasha!" Her call did no good, Kagome had seen him enter the well house. Probably he'd already been gone by the time she'd tried to stop him. She settled onto her bed. "Does he really think I'd abandon my baby?" The question turned out to be the center around which she began making her decisions.

H. Muse: Hi there! There won't be any more of the fuss and bother of decision making. I just thought I'd let you know that Inu-Yasha has gone back to his time to prepare a place for his little family, and that Kagome is doing a lot of soul-searching. The next chapter will take place a few hours after the baby is born… I hate thinking about trying to write a birth scene, so I decided to skip it.

Jewel: Huh. That's because he accidentally read Muse's birth scene for Chizzari-Raditz, while he was asking me how to make it as close to an actual birth as possible, as I have actual experience with that and he doesn't.

H. Muse: pales Oh, please don't remind me!

Jewel: takes pity on him How about you go see about conceiving Trunks? Certain people want to know how Vegeta managed that.

H. Muse: Ah, okay! runs off

Jewel: grins See you all in 9 virtual months!


	9. Decisions

H. Muse: Nine _virtual_ months?

Jewel: shrug I had to wait on you.

Last time:

"Inu-Yasha!" Her call did no good, Kagome had seen him enter the well house. Probably he'd already been gone by the time she'd tried to stop him. She settled onto her bed. "Does he really think I'd abandon my baby?" The question turned out to be the center around which she began making her decisions.

Inu-Yasha held his daughter carefully. You couldn't tell she was his, not at all. She looked like a miniature of her mother, even had the same dark hair. He drank up the sight of her, memorizing her scent. Demon and miko blood in her veins, a strange combination already at war. That had been at war the entire pregnancy.

Some things weren't meant to be mixed. He knew that now. It didn't make it any easier.

Kagome had only come for a visit. It was too soon for her to be giving birth, according to humans. Her child, though, wasn't human. Their child. His eyes burned.

Some things weren't meant to be. His daughter's face blurred for a moment, brought back into sharp focus with a few rapid blinks. He nuzzled the tiny head, drinking in the baby scent, the soft downy feel of her hair. It would be the last time he would see her. He knew that. Was sure of it. All the signs were clear to him.

Not to the others, though. They were busy with Kagome. She hadn't been expecting to have the baby, after all, and had brought none of the supplies she'd intended to bring with her. She had screamed and screamed throughout the birth, swearing that the trip back had accelerated her pregnancy.

Maybe it had, maybe it hadn't. He had heard the stories in the village where he'd grown up - that his mother hadn't been pregnant long with him. She had come back to give him her decision. Had told him after he'd jumped her out of the well.

But now that he held his daughter, he knew he wouldn't see her again, regardless of what her mother said. One long nail ran gently down the side of her cheek. And Kagome's voice broke his musing.

"Have you chosen a name for her?"

"Sakata." His human grandmother's name. Kagome smiled, holding her arms out for their daughter. He surrendered her, reluctantly.

"Aye, Kagome. A lovely child." Kaede was obviously bursting with curiosity, as her next words proved. "What have ye chosen to do, then? Shall ye and the wee one stay?"

"What? Oh! No, not right now. I've got to show her to Mom and Grandpa and Sota. And she's got to have all her shots and everything before we come back."

Kaede's eyes lit up. "Ah, then ye will be staying with us?"

"No, Kaede." Her voice was gentle. "I won't. I will be here on weekends, to look for the shards, and I'll bring Sakata with me. But we will live in my time. She will grow up in both times, and when she is seven, will decide whether to live in mine - or in her father's."

All eyes were on him suddenly, but he kept his fixed to his daughter's face, nodding once to show he'd heard. Kagome continued, "And I will stay with her. Mom's expecting me back tomorrow, so Inu-Yasha will take us back to the well. Right now, what I really want is to sleep…"

A lot of murmuring later, the three were alone in the room. He kept watch while she slept, their daughter tucked tightly to her side. He packed up the gifts she'd been given quietly, bundling them to take back with her tomorrow.

He waited while she said her goodbyes, then lifted her and their daughter, carrying them effortlessly through the trees to the well.

"You've been awfully quiet, Inu-Yasha."

"Yeah, I guess."

"You're still mad that I'm not staying, aren't you?"

"It's not that." He dropped to the ground, made himself comfortable. "I thought you would give us a chance."

"Inu-Yasha! I am giving us a chance! You'll see us on weekends!"

He nodded. "I know." Golden eyes met hers. "Do you still believe that I took you against your will?"

"Oh, honestly! What are you worried about that for? It was a long time ago, I still don't remember what happened, and I really don't care! I have to do what's best for my baby, and right now, that means going home!"

He got up, gathered their things, and jumped them through the well. Stayed for the apparently obligatory pictures, and went back through the well. He wasn't supposed to go get her for another six weeks. Her mother had spent two hours explaining that that was positively the earliest she could be expected o travel to visit his time, and that there was to be positively no shard-hunting until the baby was at least a year old.

He went straight to the God-Tree when he got back to his time. Climbed to his favorite perch. He had a decision to make.

H. Muse: There, all done.

Jewel: All done?

H. Muse: Yes, done.

Jewel: eyes H. Muse

H. Muse: looks uneasy

Jewel: keeps staring

H. Muse: starts babbling All the clues are there! Might have to reread, but the clues are there! He knows that he's not gonna see his daughter again…

Jewel: I know that.

H. Muse: Then why are you still glaring?

Jewel: sighs You like those annoying open-ended endings, don't you?

H. Muse: Ah, you noticed!

Jewel: You still haven't managed to get Trunks conceived.

H. Muse: vanishes in embarrassment

Jewel: There's a possibility of an explanatory epilogue, if required and demanded.


	10. Epilogue

"Inu-Yasha knew, didn't he?" Kagome asked quietly. "He knew."

"I do not know, child. He spent four days in the God Tree after you left. On the fifth, he left." The old woman fell silent.

"Does anyone know where he is, Kaede?"

"Ay, child, though you will not like the news."

"Kaede?" Kagome wrapped her arms around herself. "Where is he?"

"We buried him beneath the God Tree, Kagome," Miroku told her when Kaede couldn't answer. "He…. We think he was hunting a jewel shard. There was a battle. He lost. We found him on the eighth day."

"Not even Sesshomaru could revive him," Sanzo whispered, moving to hug Kagome. "He was there, with Tensaga, and after he drove Nar… the demon away, he was trying to revive Inu-Yasha. It was he who told us Inu-Yasha had been seeking a shard."

"Did Sesshomaru take the Tetsega?"

"He was using it to protect Ren!" Shippo said. "So we… kinda let him keep it."

"Oh." Kagome was silent a long moment. "I have only my memories of him, then. There's nothing of him or his… to hold on to."

"Oh, child!" Kaede joined Sanzo in hugging the bereft girl. "I am so sorry."

Author's note: Recall Inu-Yasha's reflections over his daughter's blood in the last chapter? Yes, he knew. He knew then that there was no way he and Kagome could ever really be together. And recall… Inu-Yasha mated for life.


End file.
